Aglaia absolute

Tiny yellow flowers, green tea, ripe stone fruit like peach. Green leaf and light spice facets. A faintly leathery, woody base.

Aglaia absolute has no dedicated standard in the 51st Amendment of the IFRA Standards and is not named in the EU fragrance allergen list.

Listed EU allergens, where present, are counted from the lot's certificate of analysis.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Aglaia odorata is a shrub or small tree of the mahogany family, native to southern China and South-East Asia, including Vietnam. In Vietnam it is called ngâu and is often planted in temple and house courtyards. The flowers are tiny, bead-like and yellow, borne in clusters, and strongly scented.

In China the plant is called mi zi lan. Its flowers are used to scent tea, like jasmine and osmanthus. In Vietnam, ngâu flowers are also used to scent tea.

The absolute is made by extracting the flowers with a solvent to a concrete, then washing with ethanol, chilling, filtering waxes and removing the alcohol. Suppliers in China offer aglaia concrete and absolute.

The volatiles of aglaia flowers have been analysed by GC-MS in Chinese studies, with dozens of compounds including terpenes and esters. Specific data for the absolute have not been verified, so this page lists no constituents.

In perfumery, aglaia absolute gives a floral note combining green tea and ripe fruit. It suits tea accords, Asian bouquets and light amber structures. It is a rare material outside the Chinese market.